Anti-LGBT Protesters Find a Surprise Waiting for Them at Funerals of Orlando Victims

Anti-LGBT Protesters Find a Surprise Waiting for Them at Funerals of Orlando Victims

They weren't expecting this.

Published June 19th

As many of the funerals for victims of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando have begun, and the majority of the victims were LBGT men, it's no surprise that the notorious hate group, Westboro Baptist Church, made an appearance to protest by holding up their hateful signs and claiming that homosexuality is responsible for the evil in the world. But they weren't prepared for what they found when they arrived.

The protestors were blocked by volunteers who dressed up as angels, with huge white sheets held up from their shoulders to block the signs, and chants, from the Westboro Baptist Church protestors.

The "Angel Action" counter-protest can be traced back almost 30 years, to 1999, when WBC members picketed the funeral of Laramie, Wyoming gay teen, Matthew Shepard where friends of the murdered teen dressed up in similar outfits to block protestors at the murder trials of the two men responsible for his tragic death.

The angels at Saturday's funerals were members of the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, and their actions were met with hugs and tears from the grateful family and friends of those lost in the tragic shooting.

The chants of the WBC were also drowned out by the angelic volunteers singing "Amazing Grace," in a beautiful and emotional sing of solidarity and support.

Eventually WBC members left, and those who lost loved ones in the shooting were able to mourn their dead without disturbance. Sometimes it takes tragedy and hate to remind us how loving and wonderful humanity can really be.